of Syria, under the appellation of periploca anguſtifolia. Citizen Desfontaines has likewiſe collected ſome of the ſame ſpecies upon the coaſts of Barbary.
All the ſtones that we had hitherto ſeen in theſe regions appeared to have undergone the action of fire. As the mountains of this chain that are of the mean elevation conſiſt of large maſſes, that after being fuſed muſt have retained a great degree of heat for a conſiderable length of time; I expected to find the lavas very compact in their texture. My conjecture was confirmed. Their grain is very fine, and their colour for the moſt part a deep brown.
Surrounded with theſe volcanic remains, we found the heat very oppreſſive, which appeared to incommode our guides much more than ourſelves; ſo that they exerted all their powers of perſuaſion in order to prevail upon us to make halt during the day, and only travel in the night-time. They probably imagined that our ſole aim was to ſee the ſummit of the peak, and ſeveral of our company would have had no very great objections againſt our journey being conducted upon that plan. But it is eaſy to ſuppoſe that ſuch a nocturnal ramble could not promiſe much advantage to thoſe whoſe object of purſuit was the ſtudy of natural hiſtory.
